“The secret to standing out is to impress others with your unique and authentic ‘you’ in person, on paper and online. Consequently, it is imperative that you use your time here [at Penn State] to build a strong personal brand that would positively promote you to your fellow classmates, to faculty, recruiters, graduate schools, and frankly, to anyone who could play a role in your future."-- Marke Dickinson, a 1989 Schreyer Scholar alumnus, presented the 2016 Mark Luchinsky Lecture Jan. 25 at University Park. Titled "Get Branded or Get Overlooked," Dickinson's lecture focused on the importance of developing a personal brand for the advancement of a career and identity as a leader. Recognized as an insightful and thoughtful management professional, Dickinson served in a leadership role for a dozen years at AAA, most recently as executive vice president and chief marketing officer for AAA Mid-Atlantic.

The Luchinsky Memorial Lecture Series was endowed by family and friends to honor the memory of Mark Luchinsky through the support of a speaker who exemplifies intellectual honesty, personal integrity and joy in learning. Luchinsky was a Schreyer Scholar and biochemistry major who died in 1995 at the age of 20. A native of Pittsburgh who graduated first in his class in 1992 from Thomas Jefferson High School, he was a member of the Penn State Golden Key Society and the Alpha Epsilon Delta Premedical Honor Society. Known for his intellectual honesty and integrity, Luchinsky enjoyed the study of all subjects and loved the classics, sports, poetry, history and geography.The 2016 Mark Luchinsky Memorial Lecture was presented by the Schreyer Honors College with sponsorship from the Presidential Leadership Academy and the Schreyer Honors College Student Council.